


Sleeping Beauty

by ry0kiku



Series: Young Masters [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Confinement, Court of Owls, Demon Heir Damian, League of Assassins - Freeform, LoA!Dami vs CoO!Tim AU, M/M, Possessive Behavior, Talon!Dick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 18:25:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7856251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ry0kiku/pseuds/ry0kiku
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cassandra's mind races as she watches her 'brother' frozen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleeping Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> All the characters belong to DC comics.

Cassandra had been contemplating on getting the hell out of this place. It was never her choice after all; it was her father who chose this life for her, who brought her here to train and serve. It was her father who put swords in her hands instead of toys, who taught her to fight instead of having fun. It was her father who became her final test before entering Ra's Al Ghul service as one of the elite assassins of the League.

Despite it all, she never found enough incentives or courage to leave the only way of life she knew. Rather, she found more incentives to stay; namely a box of colorful donuts, a thermos of steaming coffee, quality time perched atop Gotham's many rooftops for impromptu lessons on basic human skill, and Dick Grayson's warm company whenever they chanced upon each other during missions.

(How the man could have such a warming presence despite his corpse-like physiology was beyond her.)

And that very incentive, for better or worse, had turned around as she witnessed the Talon barged into Al Ghul castle in search for his missing master. She had followed him from the shadows, never quite close enough as to keep an excuse why she disregarded formal order to take the Talon down on sight. She continued her silent observation when he slashed through her brethren one by one, and even when Master Damian himself stepped forward and they dueled. It was a beautiful fight to say the least, she was completely mesmerized until Damian took a device and sprayed the Talon with thick, white mist.

She quickly melted back among Damian's remaining guards and followed them as they manhandled the half-frozen, sluggish Talon underground. Only her strict training allowed her to school her expression as they strapped Dick onto a table and poked him with needles and tubes. Damian watched the whole proceeding, his face hard as stone.

"I regret that we have to resort to this, Grayson. But all of these would have been unnecessary had you simply accepted my offer."

Dick glared at him the best he could, but even Cassandra could notice those yellow eyes slowly losing their glow as the Talon was visibly shutting down. Damian stroked the rapidly-bluing cheek in a moment of uncharacteristic gentleness, then turned and growled his order to begin chilling the exquisite glass display propped against the stone wall. White mist began filling the contraption, so cold it also chilled the entire room, but it was no match to ice cold fury consuming Cassandra from the inside. Dick was meant to soar in the night sky, not kept underground in an ice coffin.

"That's enough, I shall do the rest. Leave us."

There comes her first, and probably only chance. As the other guards bowed and took their leave, she slipped back into the shadows (bless her small, unnoticeable form). To her relief, Damian didn't even turn around to check the perimeter. For better or worse, he was too preoccupied with his prize.

Cassandra waited, watched as Damian trailed his hand on the slightly crusted raven hair, expression softening into... nothing she had ever seen him wearing before. She held her breath when he leaned forward and placed his lips on Dick's forehead.

"If I cannot have you, Beloved, then no one else can."

_Oh no, you don't. Demon Heir or not, you are not keeping this warm person all for yourself._

She reached for one of her blades, and froze when Damian turned around. His ocean-colored eyes narrowed, and Cassandra knew her time was up. She pulled out and threw her short sword to Damian, who blocked it with his lightning-fast draw. Her second blade was blocked as well, but the ricochet managed to scratch his thigh. Damian growled, was stalking at her like an angry tiger ready to pounce. Cassandra held her ground in the corner, third and fourth blades gripped tightly in a defensive stance. She kept the stance even when Damian slowed, blinking rapidly. He put a hand on his throat, and then glowered at her in fury.

“Why you little—!”

His body hit the floor in a sickening crunch. Releasing a breath she didn’t realize holding, Cassandra stepped out of the shadows, hurriedly taking a small syringe of antidote and administered it. Despite everything, she still harbor some respect to the Al Ghul heir. And besides, she had a feeling that Dick wouldn’t like it if she killed his ‘brother’, even for saving his life.

After making sure that Damian’s life was not in danger and he would not awake for at least another ten minutes, Cassandra hurried to the figure on the table. She undid the straps, deciding against removing the chilling needles and tubes. She fiddled with the machinery, pushing buttons and pulling levers on reverse of what she just saw them doing. The machine let out a hiss, and she prayed that it would work. To her relief, Dick’s skin was slowly gaining color, a testament that she did it right.

She jumped slightly when the body jerked, yellow eyes snapped open, its owner gasped and let out a string of curses as he came back to the living. Smiling proudly, she put one reassuring hand on his shoulder, her other hand moved fast to stop an arm lashing out at her. Dick turned his head at her direction, his wary and predatory gaze softened as soon as their eyes met.

"…Cass? You could've warned a guy. Almost sliced through your head…"

She gave him a smile and a hand to his chest, expressing her 'you're welcome'. Dick smiled back at her, a smile that turned to a grimace as she pulled the needles and tubes previously attached to his body. 

"Ow, ow! They sure had fun poking me full of holes..."

Dick groaned as he tried to get up, the gaping holes all over his body oozing out black blood-like liquid. Cassandra frowned and made another gesture as she supported his much larger back.

"Don't worry, you know these will close up in no time. And yeah, I can walk. Though maybe a little sluggish. Still feeling cold inside from whatever they stuffed me with..."

He stopped, and Cassandra could see that he already noticed Damian's unconscious body.

"You... did that?" He asked slowly, almost disbelievingly.

She nodded, feeling something crept up her stomach. Pride? She bested her master after all. Shame? She did betray her master... Or maybe it was fear. Fear for retribution...

Before she could discern the feeling, it was all washed away when a big hand rested atop her head and ruffled her hair gently.

"You saved my life, Cass. I will do everything I can to let you keep yours."

She stared up, her dark eyes met his bright yellow ones, and felt the corners of her lips tugged upward. Then remembered that they only had a few minutes and made a hurried gesture. Dick caught her message and threw his feet over the edge of the table.

Cassandra helped him up, frowning at the sound of his body creaking like stiff leather, and signed to the door.

“Heavily guarded. I get it.”

More signs as she tried to gesture their escape route. Dick looked at her in a combination of gratefulness and sympathy, before shaking his head desperately.

"No, Cass. I can’t escape on my own. They have Tim. "

She rolled her eyes. Of course. Their already slim chance was slimming even more. She studied Dick's face and weighed her options. Not that there would be any; the Talon would not leave without his Grandmaster. She had never met Tim personally, but she had heard enough about him to know that Dick valued his ‘little Owl’ above his own life. Or whatever he had left of it anyway.

"Do you know where they might keep him?"

Shoulders sagging in acceptance of overwork, she pointed upwards.

"Upstairs?"

Adding another hand. Dick blinked, then groaned.

"Topmost tower. Damn it, Al Ghuls."

Her eyebrows met at the unfamiliar word. "Da... Dam?"

"No need to repeat after me for that one, sweetheart."

Then as if on cue, Damian's body began to stir. Dick and Cassandra exchanged a wary glance, nodding, and assumed their respective fighting stance. The taller assassin placed a comforting hand on the younger one, before they both leaped out of the room for another rescue.

.  
.

**Author's Note:**

> One of the nicest imagery I had for this AU is that Dick and Cass often met on Gotham's rooftops before missions for midnight snack. Dick would supply donuts while Cass brought coffee. Well, basically it's just me lamenting their criminally few bonding scenes in canon :')


End file.
